James White Guarantees Dunk Contest Victory

I’m not exactly sure what Dwyane Wade has to do with the selection of Slam Dunk Contest participants, but apparently something because James White is promising to win* if Wade picks him as a contestant. About a week ago, a rumor began to spread indicating that Wade has already made whatever decision he gets to make and that the man they call “Flight” will in fact partake in the competition. This came as welcomed news to all those familiar with the 30-year-old Knickerbocker’s aerial exploits, as All-Star Saturday Night has been on life support for a while now. White claims that he can resuscitate it. Via ESPN…

“Whatever I do is going to be new. It’s not going to be seen in the NBA dunk contest. You’ve seen it maybe on YouTube, but you haven’t seen it on the NBA stage. You’ve seen windmills. Everything they do has to be with gimmicks, which is what’s making it corny.”

“I have a dream of doing something, but I can’t tell you what it is. I told some guys and they were like, ‘Nah, you can’t do that.’ Then somebody else brought up another one, and that’s a good idea. The dunk I’m talking about is crazy. I don’t think nobody thought of that. If they did, they wouldn’t think they can do it. It’s not too difficult, but it’s crazy. Somebody actually has to help on that one.”

White is most known for the arsenal of dunks he is capable of performing from the free-throw line. He can do a windmill and go between the legs — neither of which has ever been done from such a distance in the NBA’s dunk contest — and he can also pull off a legitimate foul-line dunk (foot behind, not on, the line). Considering the ridiculousness of what we know he can do, who the hell knows what he might do. Fortunately, it appears as though we’re going to find out. Hopefully Gerald Green, who White says has “the most hops in the league, hands down (referring to Green’s incredible two-foot jumping ability)” will be his competition.

*White guaranteed victory in the 2001 McDonald’s All-American Dunk Contest and went on to lose to David Lee. That said, White was by far the most impressive contestant. If memory serves me correct he either got robbed or missed one at the end. White also lost the 2006 NCAA Dunk Contest to David Noel after missing his signature between-the-legs jam. Again, though, he threw down by far the most remarkable dunks.